Our Programs
Preschool Program
Our preschool program runs 9am - 12pm. We offer a 2-Day program on Tuesday/Thursday; a 3-Day program Monday/Wednesday/Friday; and a 5-Day program. Enrollment is limited to 24 children in the classroom, with a child to parent ratio of 5:1. Students must be 2½ by the first day of school.
The preschool program includes easel painting, collage, play dough sculpture, chalk, markers, water/rice play, manipulatives, movement, block building, art projects, music, developmentally appropriate group times, science experiments and much more on a rotating basis. Throughout the year, we study such things as the five senses, self-concept, ocean life, bugs, dinosaurs and fossils. Outside play includes a log cabin, play structure with slides and climbing, and many fun-filled planned activities. Indoor dress-up materials provide gross motor skill activities, role-play and make believe. There are puzzles, games and other manipulatives, a library, musical instruments and songs at circle time. Blocks, cooking projects and fieldtrips into the community are all an integral part of the group experience.
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten activities for age-appropriate children are worked on through small groups and one on one time throughout the child’s day. This will include pre-reading, pre-writing and pre-math activities designed specifically for our children between 4 and 5 years old.
Infant Room
For those of you with infants under 2 years old who wish to participate as a working parent for your preschool-age child, we offer an Infant Room. Certain parents will work in the Infant Room instead of the classroom throughout the day. Once the younger sibling is over 2 years old, you may enroll him/her in the school so that he/she may attend on your workday. The infant room is available 9am - 12pm.
Curriculum
With parents' ideas and children's feedback, teachers plan an exciting child-centered curriculum that reflects children's needs and interests. Stressing the importance of hands-on experience, we explore age- and developmentally-appropriate, open-ended projects. We cover various subjects ranging from transportation to magnets, from dinosaurs to crystals, and from farm animals to volcanoes and more. Field trips are planned on an average of once a month and the locations vary. Some of our exciting destinations have included farms, fire stations, libraries, and garden centers. Our program provides an anti-bias curriculum by including various cultures' and ethnic groups' customs, songs, and celebrations throughout the year.
Daily Schedule
Our preschool runs 9am - 12pm, with the optional addition of an extended-care program (Lunch Bunch). This schedule allows time for creative and imaginative play, gathering time, outdoor play, language time, nutritious snacks, movement, music, child-directed as well as teacher-directed art activities, and more (see sample schedule).
School Year
School is in session from approximately September 1 - June 15. We adhere to the calendar of the Novato Unified School District.
